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Summary: A moment in time can change lives forever
Review: A very interesting book that explores how an instant in time can change a life forever. Leland Fowler turns to alternative medicine after battling a cold that seems to never go away. What he finds is a cure for seemingly all that ails him....even loneliness.....in the arms of his homeopath. The story was sad but interesting and Bohjalian did a good job of helping us to understand a little about homeopathy and how someone can take a single step over the edge that sends them on the path of no return.I do think that the easy wrap up at the ending was a little contrived. It did not seem that Jennifer Emmons would give up so easily. But maybe she came to terms with what happened to husband. He did afterall have a choice in the decision that he made.
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Summary: vivid vermont and characters with realistic moral struggles
Review: Once again Bohjalian has captured life in small town Vermont, with vivid settings and believeable characters. As in Midwives, the story involves generally upstanding people in unexpected predicaments of moral ambiguity. This time it's a lawyer, a grieving young widower who has his first romance since his wife's death. But his infatuation with the woman leads him to do something illegal on her behalf. Then his guilt haunts him like a poison -- a situation made more complicated by the fact that he is deliberately injesting tiny doses of arsenic in order to cure a relentless cold. And a coldness in his heart. He succeeds, but not without pain, and self-discovery that includes taking himself off the workaholic pedastal he and everyone around him has built. As in Midwives, there is a sad kind of truth to the characters' growth. But this book is a more compelling read, because in Midwives a jury decides the outcome, and in The Law of Similars no one can save the central character but himself.
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Summary: Compelling tagedy, worth the read.
Review: While I didn't like Law of Similars as well as Midwives, it was nevertheless a very compelling read. I found the characters credible, the homeopathic information fairly accurate as far as my experience takes me. Leland Fowler, a widower raising a young daughter, is everyone's perfect father, husband, attorney. But his health is a mess. A chronic sore throat takes him to the office of Carissa Lake, a homeopathic practioneer. On his part, it is love/lust at first sight. Leland pursues Carissa until he persuades her to go out with him. Just as his love seems about to be returned, his lonliness over, tragedy strikes. With mounting dread, I read the second half of the book. Bohjahlian skillfully entraps the reader. Are the characters actions credible? Maybe, maybe not but it was worth reading the book to make up my mind. I hope we continue to have the opportunity to experience books by this author.
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Summary: A deeply moving story of a search for love and healing.
Review: THE LAW OF SIMILARS is a novel whose rich complexity and skillful characterizations are sure to resonate in the reader's mind long after the last page is turned -- that's certainly how it affected me. It was one of those books that I didn't want to ever end. Chris Bohjalian's richly atmospheric story reminds us that life's most complicated decisions are not black and white; they consist of an infinite array of greys where right and wrong, good and bad are tempered by love and loyalty and the ever-changing nature of life. In these pages Leland Fowler's loneliness is tangiable and poignant. To the young widower and his little girl, Carissa Lake's sudden appearance in their lives is a glorious reprieve. The pretty homeopath cures Leland's chronic cold and his aching heart, but she also brings trouble of a nature that Leland has never dreamed possible. I love this book every bit as much as I did MIDWIVES! Chris is an exceptional stoyteller and when I'm reading one of his books, I feel like I am among people who live and breathe and matter to me as much as my own kin. I highly recommend this stellar novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as good as Midwives
Review: I'm not an expert on homeopathy, but I suspect the author isn't either. This story is told in a disjointed way, with many details missing. The reader is required to believe that a good father, lawyer, prosecutor, and person would suddenly decide to go against all that he knows is right by destroying evidence and living a lie in all aspects of his life. I couldn't believe that Leland would do this, and couldn't understand his reasons for doing it. Carissa Lake was an irresponsible homeopath, but didn't suffer any consequences. All in all, the story was disjointed and unbelievable. Midwives was wonderful, but The Law of Similars is very disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: Credulity must be suspended as well as patience and intelligence, if the reader hopes to finish this book. The initial response to the protagonist is that he is a sensitive, intelligent and together individual. This image begins to evaporate, not when he turns to alternative medicine, but when he has a mad sexual "event" under the Christmas tree with his practitioner - after a very brief "relationship" with her. From that point to the end, the author seems determined to prove that this formerly responsible and well respected man is driven only by his hormonal urges. Very disappointing aftert the thrill of "Midwives".
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Summary: seems like a sequel to midwives
Review: Second book I've read by Chris Bohjalian. The first was "midwives" & when I bought the "law of similars" I at least expected something as good, or a little bit better than his previous book. Instead, what I found was an almost exact replica of "midwives": the same subject--alternative medicine. And almost the same way of looking at alternative medicine: One woman who works in this field (here, the specific field is homeopathy)gets in trouble when a death occurs and doubts begin to arise as to whether this woman and the "medicine" she practised had anything to do with the death. In both books, the author gives a lot of information on alternative medicine, but not in a preachy way. This is good, because we get to know a lot of stuff about midwives (in one book) and homeopathy (in this one), and specifically, we are given both the arguments for and against both types of alternative medicine. But where "midwives" was a page-turner, "the law of similars" is much slower, and all in all, predictable and boring. It's as if Chris Bohjalian decided to write a kind of "sequel" to his previous book, but couldn't get it quite right. Since he's a competent writer, and can definitely produce best-selling books, it would be best, in my opinion, if he looked elsewhere for his subject matter.
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Summary: 4 star review
Review: I enjoyed this book a great deal, even though I had some problems with the character of Leland, who seemed both admirable and reprehensible at the same time. He reminded me a bit of Lester in "House of Sand and Fog." Both are men who seem completely willing to give up everything to protect a woman they've known for an extremely short period of time. Why Leland, a prosecuting attorney would be willing to break the law, thus risking his career, reputation and most importantly, his daughter, to protect Carissa seemed a bit far-fetched to me. Had they known each other longer, maybe I could understand it. I did find the father/daughter relationship between Leland and Abby quite believable and the book did peak my interest in Homeopathy. Also, the story ended they only way I would have wanted it too. A four star recommendation for this one.
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Summary: Alternative medicine meets Vermont
Review: Chris Bohjalian is a truly amazing storyteller. Once again, he has created a book of wonderfully quirky characters, lovingly (and with humor) portraying life in his adopted home of Vermont. In this book, the story puts in reader in the position of judging a situation in which alternative medicine goes head-to-head with modern medicine, leading to legal repurcussion. Add in a conflicted love interest, and you have this thought-provoking novel.
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Summary: Passions and Moral Imperatives
Review: The heart of the book is the essential conflict of interest between Leland Fowler and Carissa Lake. Leland is a state prosecutor and Carissa is being accused of a crime. What tangles it all up is Leland's feelings for Carissa. While I agreed with some of the other reviewers that it did seem odd that Leland, a successful legal mind and a father, would sacrifice everything for Carissa, it was more believable in light of the fact that he is a widow who terribly misses his dead wife. Carissa reawakens something in him that two years of greiving have depleted, and he doesn't want to lose it. I didn't find Leland Fowler terribly likable, nor did I find myself rooting for Carissa. But, the book somehow worked nonetheless. It was well-written, and as usual Bojhalion tackled an interesting subject, in this case whether homeopathy is a viable alternative medicine. I read it raptly, and although it wasn't as good as Midwives, I recommend it.
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